Alleged Thief Picked Billionaire Microsoft Co-Founder To Defraud

Maybe stealing from someone super rich seemed like a good idea at the time, but using the credit card of the co-founder of Microsoft? Someone’s bound to notice that. The FBI says a U.S. soldier changed the address on a bank account belonging to Paul Allen and then had a debit card sent to his home.

According to the Associated Press (via USA Today) investigators say the soldier was absent without leave and wanted by the Army as a deserter when he called Citibank in January, and had Allen’s address switched from Seattle to Pittsburgh. He then called back a few days later and reported his debit card lost and asked for a new one to be sent to him. And whaddya know, Citibank believed he was one of the world’s richest men and sent it.

According to the criminal complaint, the man allegedly tried to use the card to make payments on a delinquent Armed Forces bank account, attempted a $15,000 Western Union transaction and was also caught on film using it at a video game store as well as a dollar store.

The man was arrested on March 2 and will be detained until April 2 unless the Army takes him into custody.